Service Process Modularization: The Question of Customers\u27 Utility

In recent years, service-oriented thinking and customer orientation have gained interest in both research and practice instead of and in addition to the traditional product- or goods-oriented thinking. Organizations developing new business models and their service offerings that combine services to tangible products will probably succeed. The service offering of a company can be modular, i.e. consist of standardized base services, customized services, and their combinations. The study adds on the previous literature on the modularity of service encounter processes. First, it demonstrates how the applicability of service process reuse and variation can be studied in an organizational setting from the customer perspective. Second, the impact of modularization on the likelihood of trial and perceived utility of expert and novice customers are examined. Finally, the service process modularization model developed by Tuunanen and Cassab (2011) is validated in a real-life context

Service modularity and architecture – an overview and research agenda

Purpose Services are highly important in a world economy which has increasingly become service driven. There is a growing need to better understand the possibilities for, and requirements of, designing modular service architectures. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the roots of the emerging research stream on service modularity, provide a concise overview of existing work on the subject, and outline an agenda for future research on service modularity and architecture. The articles in the special issue offer four diverse sets of research on service modularity and architecture. Design/methodology/approach The paper is built on a literature review mapping the current body of literature on the topic and developing future research directions in service modularity and architecture. Findings The growing focus on services has triggered needs to investigate the suitability and implementation of physical-product-focused modularity principles and theories in service contexts, and to search for principles/theories that enhance services. The expanding research stream has explored various aspects of service modularity in empirical contexts. Future research should focus on service-specific modularity theories and principles, platform-based and mass-customized service business models, comparative research designs, customer perspectives and service experience, performance in context of modular services, empirical evidence of benefits and challenges, architectural innovation in services, modularization in multi-provider contexts, and modularity in hybrid offerings combining service and tangible product modules. Originality/value Nine areas are recommended for further research on service modularity and architecture. The introductory piece also discusses the roots of service modularity and provides an overview of current contributions

Ensuring corporate travel compliance : Control vs. commitment strategies

Business travel has increased substantially during the past few decades. Business travel costs are one of the main controllable costs in international corporations, and thus companies are imposing stricter policies on corporate travel to create savings and efficiency. For travel management, the current literature suggests two alternative management strategies based on either a control-oriented or a commitment-oriented approach. In this paper we present an in-depth case study that investigates the impact that each type of strategy has on corporate travel policy compliance. Specifically, we investigate how the strategies are executed in a triadic travel supply chain setting, consisting of a corporate travel buyer, a business travel agency and a technology provider. Our findings show that both the control and commitment-based strategies are used in all stages of the travel process. The seminal finding is that the competitiveness and high quality of services provided internally by the buyer in collaboration with the triad members – rather than strict control and monitoring – is essential to travel policy compliance. This finding shows that corporate travel management shares similar perspectives to leisure travel in that service quality is key to securing business. Furthermore, a proactive approach to control via a well-established and reasonable travel policy is needed.© 2015 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY–NC–ND 4.0) license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Conceptualizing the supplier switching process: An example from public procurement

Purpose This paper aims to develop a framework for switching a service supplier in a supply network. Design/methodology/approach The study builds on existing literature in the field of purchasing and supply management, public procurement (PP) and the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing approach, as well as on an illustrative example case, from the PP context, of a supplier switch in a service delivery process. Findings During a switching process, the buyer must simultaneously manage the ending of a relationship with the incumbent supplier and the beginning of a relationship with a new supplier. Collaboration with the focal suppliers to develop a service process with standardized components prevents disruptions in the service processes and reduces the impact of the switch on the wider network. Research limitations/implications The conceptualization suggested in this paper needs to be further explored in different empirical contexts to assess its practical adequacy. Practical implications Practitioners responsible for service procurement can use the findings to develop collaboration with suppliers, both when it comes to service process development and to the switching process. Furthermore, the authors highlight the importance of ending competencies and the development of an exit plan to conduct a “beautiful exit.” Originality/value The paper integrates relationship initiation and ending studies, as well as procurement process models to develop a refined switching process framework. Many PPs rely on short-term relationships due to the legal obligation to frequently invite suppliers to tender, thus understanding the supplier switching process is important both for private and public sector actors.©2021 Emerald Publishing Limited. This manuscript version is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY–NC 4.0) license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Valtion ja yritysten roolit ekohyvinvointivaltioon kytkeytyvien toimitusketjujen sääntelyssä

Ekologisesti ja sosiaalisesti kestävää yhteiskuntaa ja ns. ekohyvinvointivaltiota rakennettaessa tulee kohdistaa huomiota myös valtion ulkopuolelle kytkeytyviin toimitusketjuihin. Toimitusketjuissa voi ilmetä haastavia ihmisoikeus- ja ympäristöongelmia. Esimerkiksi pakkotyöhön, lapsityöhön ja epäinhimillisiin työskentelyolosuhteisiin on puututtava. Ilmastokriisin ratkaisemiseksi ja globaalin luontokadon torjumiseksi on tärkeä säännellä myös toimitusketjuja, ei vain omassa maassa tapahtuvaa tuotantoa. Valtioiden tulee asettaa tuontituotteille kestävyyskriteerit ja vaatia yrityksiltään vastuullista toimitusketjujen johtamista. Minimissään yritysten tulee noudattaa pakottavaa sääntelyä. Edelläkävijäyrityksille jää tilaa proaktiivisesti kehittää toimitusketjuja vielä paremmiksi kunkin yrityksen arvojen mukaan. Kontribuutiomme on tuoda valtion kauppaa ja toimitusketjuja koskevan sääntelyn sekä yritysten vastuullisen toimitusketjujen hallinnan näkökulmat ekohyvinvaltiokeskusteluun. </p

Unravelling Mickey Mouse: The Effect of Supply Chain Position and Organisational Slack on the Uneven Balance of Sustainability Dimensions

This paper contributes to a less-studied area on how a firm’s position in the supply chain influences triple-bottom-line considerations in strategic decision making. We also contribute to previous research on a nuanced understanding of unabsorbed organisational slack as an antecedent to the triple-bottom-line dimensions of sustainability. The research data comprises survey data and financial reporting data from 508 manufacturing and trading firms operating in Finland, divided among four supply chain tiers. The economic dimension dominates the decision making on all tiers, followed by social and environmental considerations, resembling the shape of Mickey Mouse. Unabsorbed organisational slack is negatively related to the importance of economic considerations and positively related to environmental considerations. The results help firms in evaluating their position in terms of sustainability and in their redesigning efforts accordingly. The findings will also be useful in terms of promoting sustainability practices among supply chain members and policymakers in their practical efforts towards sustainable development. </p